I think at least half the overtime I have ever worked is my own fault. It’s led me to ask a question of everyone I interview for a job.
“How do you ask for help?”
Usually, an otherwise great candidate will say, “only after I have tried everything myself.”
They want to be seen as a self-sufficient, motivated, self-starter who never makes a mistake.
But here’s the problem. If they never ask for help, they never get input until often it is too late and things are now urgent. And so, they end up working harder and longer than they needed to.
I answer all this with a committed request that they ask for help early and often. Maybe even at each stage of their project.
Because if something is due by end of day Friday and they wait to ask for help on Friday morning, there’s not a whole lot I can do about it. I can give some guidance. I can provide some resources. I can offer to read another version. All of which may mean that end of day Friday becomes 9 AM Monday morning and they lose their weekend.
But if you come to me on Tuesday with the problem, there’s a lot I can do. I can find someone else to help, I can help get the resources to them earlier. So, they can solve the problem for themselves. And then they likely can get it done by Friday at five.
How do you ask for help? How do you encourage your colleagues to?
Have a great weekend,
Julie
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